People across South Africa are taking part in a nationwide strike in protest against the rising cost of living.
Singing songs from the country's liberation struggle, thousands marched towards the president's office, demanding reductions in prices.
Inflation has hit nearly 8% - the highest in 13 years - and around a third of South Africans are unemployed.
This is the most unequal country in the world, according to the World Bank, and many are finding things tough.
Thousands of protesters have been marching, chanting and holding signs echoing familiar complaints from workers around the world: "Say no to high inflation" and "Stop the steep increase in the price of petrol".
The country's two largest union groupings, who called the strike, urged the government to intervene to cap fuel prices, reduce interest rates and introduce a universal basic income of roughly $90 (£75) a month.
Around 5,000 people took part in the rally in Pretoria.
"Don't moan; Mobilise or starve," was the message to those wondering whether to take part in the strike on a poster from the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu).
Its head Zwinzilima Vavi questioned how President Cyril Ramaphosa could give himself and ministers a 3% pay rise but refuse their demands.
At the front of the march in Pretoria, one woman who didn't give her name told the BBC why she was on strike: "We're tired. The cost of living is too high now - we can't afford anything any more. It's school fees , it's transport, it's rent, it's everything."
"We can't any more and we've been without a [pay] increase for four years now, and things are getting hectic now. The government must intervene and do something now," she added.
The nationwide strike comes as South Africa grapples with the economic impact of global events such Covid and the war in Ukraine.Thousands of people took to the streets of Pretoria in a strike on Wednesday to protest against worsening economic conditions.
The protest was organised by South Africa’s eight workers’ unions, which have called for a government intervention regarding the unemployment rates, rising poverty, and the high cost of living crisis.
Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller said the protesters marched towards the government buildings in the executive capital and handed over a memorandum to the authorities.
“The common theme amongst these unions is the high cost of living and how the working class specifically are struggling to survive in these economic conditions,” she said, speaking from Pretoria.
What is happening to the economy?
Inflation has been soaring worldwide, fuelled by supply chain disruptions after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, as well as surging energy and food prices following Russia’s war on Ukraine.
For South Africans, it has resulted in rising costs for necessities including food, electricity, fuel and medication, the government said.
According to a World Bank report, about 30.3 million South African citizens are living in poverty, while 13.8 million people are facing food scarcity that has been worsened by rising food prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
People are having a difficult time surviving, Miller said, as the economic conditions have not improved since the pandemic.
“South Africa has been plagued by rolling blackouts,” she said. “So not only do they want the cost of electricity specifically to be addressed, but they also want a stable electricity supply.”
How bad is the inflation rate in South Africa?
Inflation has accelerated to its highest level in 13 years in July, pushed mainly by surging prices for food, transport and electricity.Consumer prices rose by 7.8 percent in July after reaching 7.4 percent in June, according to the national statistics agency StatsSA.
Al Jazeera’s Miller said the governing African National Congress (ANC) is in “a difficult situation” because it is part of a tripartite alliance along with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party.
“They very much rely on the vote, and the support of various parties,” she said. “They know they can’t afford to alienate unions like these. But the unions do have a lot of bargaining power, so it would be difficult for the ANC to ignore protests like this.”
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has criticised the incumbent, Cyril Ramaphosa, saying there is no national plan to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
He accused Ramaphosa of failing to deliver on his promises to curb government corruption in South Africa, going as far as predicting that ignoring these issues would result in civil unrest triggered by a single event that might “spark our own version of the Arab Spring”.